In many Harvest Moon games, you actually are able to 'walk the dog' by taking it with you when you visit people. You do not 'walk the dog' per se but carry it and when you speak to any individual while holding your dog, he/she will respond to it.
In many games, when you speak to any character who likes dogs, heart levels will increase, but when you speak to some one with a horror of canines, heart levels will drop.
In HM DS/Cute DS, many players make the rounds of every house in the Valley with their dog or cat early in the game when they are not rich enough to afford gifts. It is an easy and inexpensive way to boost heart levels.
There are characters whose fear or abhorrence of dogs persists from game to game. Popuri is one of these. In Island of Happiness, Gannon's fear of dogs is almost an Island legend. Chen pokes fun of the 'mountain of a man' who is terrified of the tiny creature.
It is not only Main Characters who respond differently to your dog in IoH but Subsidiary Characters as well. Most individuals love animals and will respond effusively, telling you how 'cute' or 'adorable' your dog is. Others, however, like Gannon, will respond with fear or even detestation. As always, save your game BEFORE you approach any one with your dog in order to avoid a negative result.
It is interesting to discover that, although most children are enthusiastic about your Dog, their Guardians or Parents often will ask you to keep the animal away from the Child, behaving over-protectively. As you can see in the screenshots displayed here, Thelma will ask you to keep the dog away from Rita. I believe Robin behaves in a similar fashion.
You can put your dog down on the ground anywhere outside your farm in Island of Happiness. In fact, you can leave him at another house or building and go home without him. If you leave him in another building overnight, he will reappear in your field the next morning.
A final point needs to be made about 'Pets' in Island of Happiness. When your Dog and/or Horse reach 10 Hearts, do not be complacent. Neglect can lower their heart levels quite easily. It is vital that you feed both Horse and Dog daily by leaving a portion of Pet Food for each in the Stable even if the animal is kept outside. The food will be eaten. If you fail to feed either Animal for a couple of days, you can lose as much as a full heart level.
You need to brush the Horse from time to time if you are not riding him regularly in order to maintain maximum heart level. Once you have a Teleport Stone, the horse may appear less attractive as a means of transport, but remember that the Teleport Stone takes you only to the entrance to any area and does not provide 'door to door service'. There is a way to use both Horse and Teleport Stone by combining both in a journey. The Horse is particularly useful in the Forest where there are many twisting paths and destinations such as the Church and Witch Princess Hut that cannot be reached via Teleport.
The upcoming 'Tree of Tranquility' for the Wii is one game where you actually can 'walk' any pet. You need to tame an animal by raising its friendship level before you can take it home as a Pet, but once an Animal becomes a Pet, you will have a choice of options whenever you speak to it. One of these options is to go for a walk. The same option exists with respect to your Child when he/she reaches a specific stage of growth. It is one of the most charming aspects of ToT, actually. I loved to walk through the Island with my cat running at my heels! (Your pet can be as exotic a creature as a Turtle or Penguin.) You will find all details about Pets, your Child and every other aspect of ToT in the BradyGames Guide.
